The Mickey Mouse Plant

Year end in Malaysia must be the best.....except for those taking their year exams, of course.:- ) ! I like year end, as the days seemed cooler with more rain and cooler temperatures.  There is also lots of breeze, at least in this part where we live. My plants of course seems to like it too.....somehow they looked healthier and  greener especially my rose plants !   Must be the high humidity from the frequent rains and drop in temperature at night.   However more rain means I have to weed more and prune more.....all part of a gardener's lot!  I don't mind weeding.  Sometimes I come across strange young  plants.  If it looks like an interesting plant from the look of  its foliage,   I let the plant grow a bit before I decide if I should pull it out. 

One interesting plant I came  across is this Mickey Mouse Plant.   I believe the birds must have dropped the seeds  in my garden.  I am not sure if the right name is  Ochna kirki, Ochna Serulata or  even Ochna integerrima) .   The flowers and leaves all looked similiar in the photographs ....  !

{Check out these sites :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochna_serrulata ,http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=Ochna_integerrima , http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Ochnaceae/Ochna_thomasiana.html}

Anyway, I recognized this plant because of its slightly serrated (fine bristles) oval shaped leaves.   Many years ago, I noticed this strange looking huge hedge grown near my in law's house.  If you have checked the sites mentioned above, you too would have noticed the unusual flowers of bright yellow yet there are those red "flowers" with the black seeds looking a bit like  the Mickey Mouse cartoon.  Since both  colors  appeared on this hedge so prominently, I was curious enough to take a close look..  Later  I checked it out  in books  written about  tropical plants as well search on the internet. for more information.  I was so caught by this plant!   Then about a couple years back  I noticed that  the lady two doors away from my mother's house  actually has this plant as well. This lady  has the Mickey Mouse plant  growing as  a small  young tree (about 4 feet high)  with  the combination of pretty yellow flowers and red 'flowers' growing on the ground in front of her gate.  That was how this plant attracted my attention as well. 
 
So it seems pretty much a coincidence that I should find these young plants (yes, not just one, actually four or five) sprouting up in my garden.......The answer came one day  during one of my evening walks down the road from my house . A neighbor's house actually has this beautiful plant as well, but she grows hers in a pot , it is still a  small plant about 3 feet tall or so. The bight yellow flowers caught my eye!

Yes,  I dug out  these precious young plants.  I now have two growing very well. The others  probably did not like being disturbed.   I have one growing in a pot and another growing  on the ground.....I am keeping my fingers crossed that both will continue to do well....Take a look.

The potted one....

Notice the fine serration (bristles)  on leaves...

The one on the ground......!

These two young plants are very nice looking,  I think.  I am not sure when they will bloom maybe a couple of years?  

Now I am not sure what is the name of this plant,  but  this little  butterfly seems to like it.......This plant is from my neighbor, she said the flowers are fragrant but only open at night. This plant has not been thriving, perhaps the soil is too wet for its liking or it does not like direct sunlight......! It has been growing very slowly. When my neighbor gave it to me about a year back (gosh, is it a year already?), it was just a leaf and some roots......!

Count Down - The Garlic Vine Blooms !

Continuing on the bright side of gardening (posted 19th Nov)......I would like to share my  delight with shots of  the garlic vine as the buds transform  to eye catching blooms ......!

A tinge of purple appears.....

close up shot of the buds.....

 

more purple appears...

waiting in anticipation !

Almost there   !

Finally they bloom .... ! This is the first time  the garlic vine plant is rewarding me with such an  abundance of blooms after approximately a  year and more of growth. 

Shot  in the morning

Midst of blooming...

Afternoon shots

Sheer Delights ....!

Tomorrow comes, the flowers will turn  paler in color  to almost white over the next couple of days  New blooms will appear, so one can see different shades of colors on the bunch ...... 

Guilty as Charged.... Miracle Plant n Cherry Tree....

I am not supposed to add new members to my collection, but here I am with two new plants....! Yes,  guilty as charged, but perhaps I should be allowed to justify? 

The first plant I bought  is the "Miracle Plant".  Actually I have been introduced to this plant before, but  had mulled over buying it.  I  did read  some articles about this plant in the internet and was rather fascinated.  So the reason I bought it ?  Believe me I just wasn't being impulsive, lol!

My mother was a diabetic, and so was her sister. Perhaps I, too, may be affected, so I am just getting prepared.  This 'miracle plant' (Synsepalum dulcificum)  will not be my savior, but it may help me to adjust as a diabetic,  :- ) .  Apparently the berries from this plant contains a substance, miraculin,  which after being consumed makes other food taste sweet, especially sour ones like limes, etc.  The effect supposedly can last from half an hour to 2 hours. Do read more on these  links  : - http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/plant_wk/synsepalum.htm and  http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/miraclefruit.html.  Well I just have to keep my fingers crossed that in a year's time I will have some berries to taste.....! What a novelty plant! 

The second plant I bought is what the nursery owner said is  the  "Jatoba Cherry Tree" (in mandarin) , but then when I checked it out in the internet, this plant cannot possibly be it. So I will just call it the 'Cherry Tree".

When I finished Standard One at school, I was given a book prize. Those days the schools gave book prizes. I can't remember why I was given a book prize, but I remember my eldest sister teaching me to read this very  first  book  I owned that is not a text book.  It was a  beautiful book with  very colorful illustrated pictures. The first page started with , " One Cherry Stone upon my plate....." Perhaps this is why I am stuck with cherries and cherry stones... !  Let us  hope I will get a cherry stone (from this plant) on my plate one day.....lol !





23rd November 2010

Update : Finally checked it out - the "Cherry Tree" goes by the name "Eugenia Uniflora" or 'Surinam Cherry". Totally different from my vision of a cherry fruit, but this plant nevertheless is an interesting plant ,  its white flowers are fragrant and the fruits are rich in Vitamin C and of some medicinal value as well.  Well no regrets buying this plant, just hope it will grow strong and healthy in my garden.  Apparently it does well in pots or on the ground.  This link has nice photos and a good write-up as comments ....check it out : http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=Eugenia_uniflora. This article is interesting and very infomative :- http://chestofbooks.com/gardening-horticulture/fruit/Tropical-And-Subtropical-Fruits/The-Pitanga-Fig-37-Eugenia-Uniflora-L.html

Loropetalum Chinense

The Loropetalum Chinense or commonly called Chinese Fringe Flower is a  truly beautiful shrub with its unusual colored leaves ranging from bronze-red when new to olive-green or burgundy when mature. The flowers are bright hot pink.  I noticed that this plant is very popular these days and is commonly seen  almost everywhere.  This plant is actually one of the first few plants that I planted when we first moved here. It was growing very well, but something went wrong and it died. I am only thinking of a couple of  possibilities -  too much fertilizer  or poor soil drainage.  It is hard to lose a plant especially one that seemed to be growing so well. This plant is supposed to be a rather hardy plant, so it is a real puzzle why all of a sudden the leaves start to dry up.  I had planted it in a sunny spot.

It was lucky that I had a cutting that was successful (see picture below). This time I will be having it in a pot and not be too enthusiastic about fertilizing it.

 

8th September 2011 : Update on my 'baby' Chinese Fringe Flower plant

After almost a year - the plant is not much bigger, isn't it ? Sigh ..... well as they say, things of beauty take time to develop and this is so true for my Fringe Flower !

Tree of A Thousand Stars ( Serissa Foetida or Snow Rose )

I was attracted to this miniature plant when  I saw it. The vendor told me its name is  "Tree of  a Thousand Stars"  - fascinating name indeed.   It won't ever  grow to be a tree ... it is really  too small. A shrub ? Even that  sounds hardly possible looking at its  size ! Probably will take ages...... :- ).  Needless to say I bought one plant since I really like it.

Notice the white edgings on its small pointed leaves and  how the leaves are formed like a  tiny star ?  Cute.  I do not see any buds nor flowers on the plant.  The vendor said this plant will bloom very well, that is why it is called ' tree of  a thousand stars' !  I guess this plant must be a rather young plant as the stems are rather thin and tender.  Later, checking around in the internet, I found  out that this plant is actually popular as a Bonsai plant and there are  many  of its species around.  The pictures on the some of the sites are really great,  and the flowers  when in  bloom may be  tiny but looks attractive, very delicate looking,  And indeed this plant is a prolific bloomer. I kind of like the pink  flowers variety, but the vendor had informed me that the one I bought has white flowers.  

I bought this plant almost 2 months ago  and it is doing very well.  It is an easy plant to care for, although it does shed some yellow leaves now and then in the beginning.  The weather had turned very hot recently, with spells of heat wave,  so I moved it out of the sun. I think it did not like that, so I had to move it back.  This plant is indeed  very responsive and  shows its displeasure immediately by shedding yellow leaves!  That is good -   this  plant can certainly communicate...... lol  !  This plant although small  sized,  grows fast.  I pruned those branches sticking way out  and stick them into some  soil.  I was surprised  to see the cuttings take root easily !  Amazing! It is a  bonus  since  I like this plant a lot  because of its small size, I was thinking it will be perfect for me to grow them as border plants around the bigger plants, so I will have plenty of them in no time....
 
Look at how much my plant has grown, despite being pruned at least once.

   Below are  a couple of the cuttings I successfully  propagated. 
 

Before I say 'ciao',  there is one point to take note. " Foetida "  stands for 'foul-smelling' in latin.  Parts of the plants is supposed to emit a rotting smell if damaged, but so far  I have  not smell  it yet.........! For those interested to grow bonsai, check this link out :- http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Serissa.html

Hippeastrum

Most people mistakenly referred to  this beautiful and flamboyant plant as an amaryllis, but the correct  name is Hippeastrum.   Some  people simply called it "Lily'.  Hippeastrum is a genus in the family Amaryllidacaea, with many species and hybrids. 

Right now I have three types in my garden.  I used to like this bulb plant a lot, as I find the huge, showy flower very appealing, on top of the flower being able to last for 3 or 4 days.  Nowadays I find that growing this plant is not very rewarding as the plants prefers to  happily spout healthy looking leaves  but  no flowers in sight.!  (Haiz....!) After reading other blogs, comments, etc.. I find that this is indeed a common complaint.  So despite providing organic fertilizer feed to it, trimming of the leaves, not watering it., digging them out and replanting them, etc.........these efforts did not seemed to work! Recently I read  a recommendation to put the bulbs in the fridge to simulate cold weather in order to stress the plant, inducing it to bloom.   The author claims that this method works but one got to  go through the process for at least 4 months to see the bloom.  Well, I hesitate to go through such a tedious process, so just decided to let the plants dictate when they want to bloom.   Yet I have seen these plants neglected by the roadside, but they were blooming  happily under the sun!  Perhaps it is the hybrids. The one I saw were orange-coral  in colour. Perhaps they are not as fussy.  I used to have a row of them when we lived in Penang, perhaps I should go hunting for them again.

This light pink and white hybrid projects an aura of innocence and peace.  When I gaze at this graceful flower,  I feel nothing can wrong.  

 One more hybrid which is reddish-white, with more rounded petals has not bloom for some time now, so I cannot put up a picture right now.  When I get lucky I will insert a photograph!

Update : 7th April 2011

It finally blooms .....

What a beauty ! 

 

(for more pictures - see posted dated 7th April 2011)

Leucophyllum

Stunning, unusual shrub .... the common names  for it are  Texas Ranger , Silver Leaf  and  Barometer Bush - what  funny names for a plant !  Well, silver leaf is  okay, after all the leaves are kind of silvery color (grey-white).  Why barometer bush ? Apparently the plant blooms days before it rains, it starts to bud when the humidity is high, I guess. From buds to blooms I think it takes 2 to 3 days from what I observe. Texas Ranger  -  I have not come across any explaination for it yet.  

I first noticed this shrub  because of its unusual foliage.   It was bushy , about 4 feet tall .  One day  I  noticed it bloomed and  it  was really striking. Abundant pink flowers against the silvery backdrop, one can see the plant from quite a distance away.  

This is the plant  when I brought it home and  after having given  it some light some prunning. The nursery where I bought it from had  just let it stand under the sun and rain. There was a bit of black moldy growth and the branches were dangling here and there. into odd shape. My husband did not like it at all, but after I have prunned it, he said 'wow - was that the plant we took back?" Since it was recommended to leave it under direct sunlight, and to avoid too much watering, I had to locate a proper spot for the plant.

This is the plant after 3 months  with us.  Well, it did not bloom just before it rains, but it blooms periodically. It did not shower us with excessive blooms either, but enough to make one admire it whenever it does.  The plant has adapted rather well,  keep my fingers crossed. Anyway it is supposed to be a robust plant. The plant is supposed to grow on sandy soils, a semi - dessert shrub, so it does not need much fertilizing as well. 

Sapphire Showers Duranta

So gorgeous....!  When we first moved there, we used to take walks in the neighborhood just to check out the surrounding.  My son was the one who first pointed out this beauty to me. Coincidentally  on the first trip to  the nursery to buy some plants for the garden,  I spied this beauty  sitting in a corner  of the nursery - a splendid bush, almost canopy like - compared to a  just a few stalks of  stems and flowers we saw in the neighborhood.  The owner of the nursery was selling the small plant for RM6 which I thought was  an excellent bargain  for such a beautiful plant ! In comparison I saw this plant  sitting in a Melbourne nursery a price tag of AUD$ 35 ........

Anyway, once I took this plant home, I was pleasantly surprised to see it growing so well and fast. I wanted a big plant to provide as much shade as possible. I really got more than I expected when I found out this plant is so easy to propagate.  Whenever I trimmed the plant, I stick the cuttings into the soil along the drain as well as containers. Some dry out, but most survived.  I have stopped doing that now, otherwise my whole area would be nothing but just this plant....hmmm!  The plants bloom easily as well. It doesn't even seem to mind if there is no fertilizer, it appears  stunted that is all.

This is how the plant I bought look like now - a year and half down the road! I let it lean against the fence to have a bit of support.  The lush green leaves and  purple-blue flowers  with white edging are really too heavy for the plant to stand upright. without some sort of support.  When the flowers are gone, tiny yellow fruits appears ( that is why the plant is also called "Golden Dewdrop") but I prefer to trim the flowering stalks off as the fruits are considered toxic.

Below is the view of the plant  from outside the compound.

I potted one of the cuttings as I like the way the stalks leaned gracefully over. It stayed healthy for a  few months  but it soon outgrow this small  pot.....!  This plant blooms perpetually and the huge clusters of flowers is really attractive.

It also attracts butterflies to my garden ! These are some of the butterflies I managed to 'shoot' as they flirted with the flowers. 'Shooting' butterflies need patience and a fast hand....not easy at all, but I get lucky!    Sorry I am not able to provide the names of these lovely butterflies right now since I do not know their names! 

This butterfly must be a survivor (see its left wing).

Update on 27/2/2011 : The Egg Fly Butterfly? Hope I got its name right...!

Well if I gush more about this plant....you will be bored. But believe me, if there is one plant you want to have in your beautiful garden -  it is this plant....A note :  the whole flower stalk will stay for a month, daily the old ones dropped, but new ones opened.